5 Experts Reveal Their Top Backlink Building Strategy Secrets
I feel like screaming each time I attempt to carry out a backlink building strategy.
It’s so freakin’ hard!
I know you can relate if you’re a content marketer like me who often works with low traffic websites.
Plus, backlinks are one of over 200 ranking factors used by Google. There’s a lot of pressure to get backlinks, and get ‘em fast.
We have two choices.
Focus on creating great content and promoting it on social media. Over time, the backlinks will start appearing.
Or…
Still do that, but also supercharge our content promotion by taking backlink building into our own hands.
I’ll go with option two, please! How ‘bout you?
That’s what brought me here. I wanted to learn more about how to build backlinks for low traffic websites.
So, I spoke with five backlink building experts who let me in on some of their secrets.
You’re getting the insider scoop!
But first, let’s be clear on how Google views backlink building strategies.
Sections
Does Google Penalize Backlink Building Strategies?
It depends. Google frowns upon backlinks deliberately created on websites to manipulate search engine results. The manipulation is what Google has an issue with because it compromises the integrity of the ranking process.
When a backlink building strategy is poorly developed, the backlinks it creates form part of what Google calls link schemes. Here are some examples of link schemes:
Paying someone to add your link to their website
Accepting money from someone to add their link to your website
Exchanging goods or services for links
Bribing someone with a free product in exchange for a link
Too many link exchanges with partners
Large article marketing or guest posting campaigns
Using automated software to create links to your website
It’s highly likely your Google rankings will drop if Google discovers your website is part of a link scheme.
You definitely don’t want that!
But here’s the thing.
This reality doesn’t mean you shouldn’t create a backlink building strategy. You just have to understand what this strategy looks like without triggering red flags from Google.
What Is A Backlink Building Strategy?
A backlink building strategy outlines all the steps you’ll take to secure backlinks for your website without violating Google’s rules. It considers your:
Budget
Link building technique
Existing content assets
Content strategy
Timeline
Budget
You’re either doing backlink building yourself or hiring a backlink building specialist. If you’re hiring a backlink building specialist, the person’s fee would have to be factored in.
If you’re the DIY type, you’ll most likely need a backlink building tool. Many exist and I discuss two interesting finds later in this article.
Link Building Technique
This is the place where the issues tend to arise. You don’t want to overuse a strategy and end up with an explosion of backlinks Google finds strange. As Alan Silvestri says, “Focus less on a specific tactic. Create a long-term strategy that works for you.”
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Alan Silvestri's quote on how to create a link building strategy
You’ll learn more about the link building techniques he and four other backlink building experts shared with me later in the article.
Existing Content Assets
Your existing content assets have to be backlink-worthy. If not, you’ll have to either refresh them or create new content. Alan Silvestri shared his perspectives on backlink-worthy content. I include his thoughts in the next section.
Content Strategy
Think carefully about the types of backlinks you need to accomplish the goals outlined in your content strategy. This will help you have a more focused approach. You want quality, not necessarily quantity.
Timeline
Link building isn’t quick. It can take several months or even a year to fully carry out a backlink building strategy and start seeing results. Your timeline should consider:
Research on backlink outreach prospects
Reaching out to prospects
Collaborations
Giving Google’s algorithm time to work
I interviewed Alan for my video podcast series. Most of the interview focused on tips for building backlinks.
I’ve broken those tips down into four distinct steps for building backlinks.
How To Build Backlinks In 3 Steps
The process of understanding how to build backlinks begins with two fundamental truths. The backlinks should be relevant and your content should be great. Chandal Nolasco da Silva, a seasoned marketing expert with over 15 years of link building experience, sums it up nicely in this quote.
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Chandal Nolasco da Silva provides a link building strategy quote
She’s spot on and her insight works well with some of the backlink building strategies Alan mentioned during the interview. Let’s dive into the three core steps of the backlink building process.
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How to build backlinks in 3 steps infographic
Step #1 : Create backlink-worthy content.
It all begins and ends with great content. Your content needs to have insights that are hard to find anywhere else. That’s what makes people include backlinks without giving a second thought.
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Christine McLean's quote on how to build backlinks
Research reports are a great option. Content creators are always looking for data to support their claims. If you can do first-hand research about a pressing topic in your niche, you’ll attract backlinks organically. And quickly too.
Erin Balsa has a great course on writing research reports. I’m halfway through it and I’ve already learned a lot about the costs, project structure, and writing techniques.
Costs are a major factor to consider here because a well-done research report based on first-hand data can easily cost over US$10,000. So, you probably could only realistically budget for one per year if this type of content is relevant to your audience and niche.
Another way to create backlink-worthy content is to collaborate with other creators. It has a domino effect. You work with another creator or a group of creators to write a blog post, produce a video, or build a podcast. Those other creators will willingly share the finished product with their audiences and include links to it on their websites.
You may not be able to complete a research report or collaborate with other creators. But you can still create backlink worthy content that has four key ingredients.
Visual Appeal
Use original images in your content. Images do more than break up the text and provide more SEO opportunities. They also provide opportunities for you to visually describe what’s being explained.
Consider creating images like:
Graphs or charts that visually explain statistics
Quotes to emphasize points made by experts
Any creative visual that makes important points stand out
Value
Your content shouldn’t be a replica of what’s already out there. You need to be in-tune with your audience. Don’t guess and assume what they want to know.
Talk to your audience. Ask questions. Learn more about them so that you have clarity on the best type of content for their needs. When you create content that solves your audience’s problems, you add value.
Actionable Thoughts
Actionable content empowers readers to try something new. That’s really what content marketing is about, helping your audience learn something new and view you as a thought leader.
People who feel empowered by your content will share it with others. The more it’s shared, the greater your chances of getting organic backlinks.
Good UX Design
The experience your reader’s have with your blog post is just as important as the content. Here are some tips for providing a good user experience:
Summarize the key points as a TL;DR bite.
Include a Table of Contents for long pieces so that they’re easy to navigate.
Use short paragraphs so that the text is scannable.
Don’t use a dark background. The text should be easy to read.
Step #2 Choose link-building techniques.
There are many ways to build links. Five proven techniques are discussed in the next section. Remember, you aren’t limiting yourself to one link-building technique. So, consider all the options presented in this article before choosing the combination that works for you.
Before we dive into those five proven techniques mentioned by experts, I want to discuss one of the most common techniques. Link placement.
You reach out to authors of relevant blog posts and ask them to include a link to your article. But this strategy only works if your research into these websites is thorough and you write compelling outreach emails.
Thorough research means you:
Carefully read through the article on the website you want to reach out to.
Identify the website’s domain authority.
Find the contact information for the right people.
Send a personalized and compelling email.
Let’s discuss domain authority for a bit. Domain authority isn’t a ranking factor used by Google. It’s a score created by Moz that estimates the likelihood of a website ranking in search engines based on a combination of factors. The higher the score, the greater the chances of ranking.
So, what domain authority should the websites you reach out to have? Michal Jacowski, founder of Backlink Manager, says that the websites you reach out to should have a domain authority of at least 45.
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Michal Jackowski's quote on how to target websites for a backlink building strategy
But Alan offers another perspective. He suggests reaching out to websites within a DA range. These websites should have DAs between 20 and 80. Using a minimum DA of 20 means you won’t reach out to brand new websites or websites that don’t post much content. Capping the DA at 80 means you won’t reach out to websites that are highly unlikely to include your links.
So, don’t just check out any website you happen upon. Use a tool like Ahrefs or SEMRush to identify the DAs of the websites you’ve identified. Only choose those websites with strong DAs.
I’ll provide some tips for finding the contact information for the right people in the final section of this article. For now, let’s look at how you can create personalized outreach emails.
Step #3 Send Personalized Outreach Emails
I don’t know ‘bout you, but I’m tired of getting backlink outreach emails where the sender obviously has done no research. You know, those emails where they’re asking you to include a link to an article that doesn’t relate to yours at all.
Don’t be like them. Read through the articles carefully, use software like Postaga or Backlink Manager to find the right email address, and go through the contact person’s LInkedIn profile to learn more about his or her interests.
That last bit is key. You have to spend some time getting to know the person a bit so that you can write an email that truly stands out from the rest. That’s how you connect with someone on a more human level and increase the chances of a link exchange.
5 Backlink Building Strategies That Work For Low Traffic Websites According To Experts
Use HARO.
Help A Reporter Out (HARO) is probably not an online community you’ve considered as part of your backlink building strategy. But Michal suggests that it’s an important part of giving your backlink profile the most natural feel. Links to your website will be in reputable online newspapers and magazines if reporters on HARO choose to share your story.
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Michal Jackowski explains how to get backlinks from high quality websites to build a strong backlink profile
2. Apply for guest blogging opportunities.
Andy Cabasso, co-founder of Postaga, recommends guest blogging as one of the best backlink building strategies for websites with low traffic. You’re already familiar with what guest blogging is, but what should you do when you’ve gotten a guest blogging opportunity?
Ashley Faus, Content Strategy Lead at Atlassian, recommends including a link to your website in your author byline when you’re guest posting. She also recommends including the anchor text for the keyword you want to target within the body of the article. But you can only do this if the website allows you to include your links. Some allow you to include one or two of your own links, others don’t.
3. Reach out to be a podcast guest.
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Andy Cabasso recommends guest podcasting as backlink building strategy
Guest podcasting is quickly becoming the new form of guest blogging. Andy recommends sending pitches to podcasts that reach your target audience. Pitch topics related to your area of expertise so that you’re viewed as a thought leader.
Not only will you reach a new audience, but you’ll also get links to your website. Some podcast hosts will even include links to specific articles on your website. Also, if the podcast is syndicated on multiple platforms, your links can appear there as well.
4. Establish republishing partnerships.
A republishing partnership is when an external website allows you to republish an article you already have on your website. Atlassian, for instance, has republishing partnerships with brands like Hubspot and DZone.
Here’s an example. Ashley published this article about work-life balance on Hubspot but the article was originally published on Atlassian’s website. Here’s what is said at the end of the article.
Example of a post published under a republishing partnership
Notice that the words “originally published on Atlassian.com” are hyperlinked. The link takes you back to the original article on Atlassian’s website.
But it can be challenging to establish republishing partnerships if you have a website with low traffic. Ashley recommends starting with websites that have less rigorous publishing standards. DZone is a good example if you have a technical audience.
An important point to note here though is that the URL for the original post should be marked as canonical. Otherwise, Google will see the content on both your website and your partner’s website as duplicate. That will impact your search engine rankings.
Canonical tags tell search engines that your original post is the master copy. You would include the rel=”canonical” tag in the header code of your blog post.
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Ashley also recommends two tips for establishing republishing partnerships, especially if you have a website with low traffic:
Ask your writer to go through a pitching process to these websites and start with a guest publishing relationship. That guest publishing relationship can blossom into a republishing partnership over time.
Identify partners or customers who already know the republishing partners you’re trying to reach out to. Ask these partners or customers to help you make a connection with these people so that you can move forward.
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5. Brand mentions.
Chandal also recommends increasing brand awareness so that you can get brand mentions organically. As she eloquently states, “While search engine marketers will have less control over aspects like anchor text targets, creating a network of signals across content websites, social media, and even PR networks and news sites will all help a brand rank for its target keywords, more than just backlinks.”
Brand mentions create even better outcomes for your website over time.
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Chandal Nolasco da Silva's thoughts on brand mentions as part of a backlink building strategy
Should You Avoid Paid Backlinks Altogether?
Use paid link building strategies cautiously. If you do use them, you have to include rel=”nofollow” tags to your HTML code. A nofollow tag tells Google to not pass any link authority from your page to the other website you’re linking to.
This tag helps you comply with Google’s guidelines by indicating that the content of the post is sponsored. So, if you’re using any form of paid backlinks, include the rel=”nofollow” tag!.
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Chandal explains how to include paid backlinks as part of your backlink building strategy
Andy Cabasso explains why reaching out to the right people is important for a link building strategy
Backlink outreach is often a very manual process. Tell me if this sounds familiar…
You find a website you’re interested in reaching out to.
You search through the About or team pages to find the best contact person. Typically, you’re looking for the head of content, the head of marketing, or the author of the piece.
Someone looks promising. You spend a few minutes combing through that person’s LinkedIn profile.
Once you feel you’ve learned enough about the person, you try to find an email address for her that works.
This is a process you have to repeat for every contact you’re reaching out to. It’s very time consuming!
Postaga saves the day! It’s an all-in-one link building tool that simplifies the outreach process while helping you choose the link building strategies that would work best for your content and type of business. You can complete that four-step process in a matter of minutes with Postaga.
The platform has a strong search engine that helps you find blogs, websites, or podcasts you may want to reach out to. After you’ve narrowed down your search, Postage helps you:
Find the best-fit contact people for each business.
Verify working email addresses for those people.
Personalize email outreach. Postage even has a tool that can offer suggestions as you type to help make your emails even better.
Schedule follow-up emails.
There’s also a Done-for-You option where you can hire the Postaga team to do your backlink outreach. Imagine the amount of time you can save!
With Postaga, you can create a backlink building campaign in minutes.
Pricing
Pro: $99 per month
Agency: $299 per month
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Postaga Review
Backlink Manager
Backlinkmanager.io is similar to Postaga with emphasis on streamlining communication between you and your backlink partners. Like Postaga, it simplifies the backlink outreach process, makes it easy to automate follow-up with prospects, and provides a central communication hub for your backlink outreach so that you never miss an opportunity. There’s also a reporting feature that allows you to clearly track your progress.
Pricing
Free
Hustler: $19 per month for first year
Pro: $29 per month for first year
Final Words
So, there you have it…five backlink building strategies that can help you get more backlinks for your low traffic website. Remember though that you aren’t building a link scheme.
Instead, you’re creating backlink worthy content. Focus on the quality of your content and you’ll find it easier to use a combination of backlink building strategies while getting organic backlinks over time.
So, are you ready to level-up your backlink building strategy?